Jerry Pillay
The Rev. Dr. Jerry Pillay, a Presbyterian clergyman and professor from South Africa, was elected general secretary of the World Council of Churches in June 2022. (WCC Photo)
UPDATED June 23, 2022
The Rev. Dr. Jerry Pillay, a Presbyterian clergyman and professor from South Africa, was elected as the new general secretary of the World Council of Churches (WCC). He is the eighth general secretary in the WCC’s history since the fellowship of churches was founded in 1948.
Pillay is currently dean of the Faculty of Theology and Religion, University of Pretoria. A member of the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa, he is from South Africa.
Since his election was announced, however, Jewish groups have expressed concern about Dr. Pillay's position on the Middle East. See update at the end of this article.
Pillay was one of two candidates standing for election to the WCC's highest administrative post. The other candidate was Dr Elizabeth Joy. Pillay will succeed outgoing acting general secretary Rev. Dr. Ioan Sauca, who began serving in that position in April 2020, when the previous general secretary, Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, was appointed as the presiding bishop of the Church of Norway.
Dr Agnes Abuom, WCC central committee moderator, shared words of congratulations and blessings in Pillay’s new ministry.
“May the WCC global fellowship warmly welcome you, pray for you, and show you in every way that we care for you as you take on important leadership in our ongoing journey toward Christian unity,” she said. “You and the ecumenical movement are making history—and forming a future in which we can live out God’s love for one another and for all.”
The general secretary serves as the WCC’s chief executive officer, and leads the WCC’s work, including final responsibility for WCC’s work and its staff.
WCC Central committee meeting, June 2022
Photos from the WCC central committee meeting, June 2022
UPDATE: Regarding false media reporting on Israel and Dr Pillay
Since the election in mid-June of Rev. Dr. Jerry Pillay as new World Council of Churches (WCC) general secretary, concerns have been raised, predominantly in Jewish media, about his position on Israel and the Jewish communities and their faith.
The WCC general secretary-elect underscores that under his leadership the WCC will continue to desire and uphold cordial relationships with the Jewish communities.
“I support the Jewish people preserving their identity and practicing their religious beliefs and values. I believe that all religions must be respected and people of all faiths—and no faith—must work together to create a world of justice and peace in which we express love, unity and reconciliation,” Pillay says. “This stance has been and continues to be that of the World Council of Churches, and it would never elect a leader who practiced or preached antisemitism in any way, shape or form. The WCC continues to promote and nurture justice and peace, and has consistently raised concerns about issues of justice in Israel and Palestine.”
Consequently, the WCC will continue to stand firmly behind United Nations (UN) resolutions on the occupied territories and speak out against all forms of injustice, regardless of where or who they come from.
“Our perspectives are always from the perspective of a Christian witness—a point of view in which human rights, justice and peace are cornerstones. We are a faith-based – not a political – organization and part of a worldwide fellowship confessing the Lord Jesus Christ as God and Saviour,” Pillay adds.
Pillay added that he stands behind the WCC policies on the Holy Land, most recently expressed in a public statement by the WCC central committee on 18 June that WCC reiterates a “constant call for an end to the occupation, and for equal human rights for all” in the Holy Land.